


Like A Book Cover

by ReallyAwkwardMedia



Category: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee is Life Fuel!, F/F, First Meetings, Librarian Twilight Sparkle, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25796503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReallyAwkwardMedia/pseuds/ReallyAwkwardMedia
Relationships: Applejack/Rarity (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls), Fluttershy/Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls), Sunset Shimmer/Crystal Prep Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	1. Beware the Stranger

“Twilight, please make sure to clean up after you leave, won’t you dear,” called the young woman out towards the girl sitting at the checkout desk.

A pair of glasses poked from behind the cover of the book currently being held up. Setting down her marker, Twilight Sparkle gently closed her book and stood up from her seat. “Will do Ms. Celestia,”

With a mellow nod the owner of the library turned to leave the building. A massive echo from the wooden doors bouncing off the walls. Twilight was left by her lonesome to close out for the rest of the day. It was not very often she did close, mostly because she had to attend university early in the morning. It meant she only closed the property mainly at the end of the weekdays and sometimes during the weekends if she was feeling particularly confident.

Since today was Friday it had been a relatively slow day too, people not having classes the next day did lead to dip in attendance at the private library. Not that Twilight minded one bit. Quite opposite actually, she relished on the particular days since it gave her time to delve into her own books, maybe finish her homework without interruptions or merely walk around the place to lose herself in the great stacks of books surrounding her.

Without a doubt she knew factually that she was a nerd. The effects of being somewhat of a hermit came with fewer friends, time spent by herself working or maybe partake in less sociable activities. Out of the whole group of few friends she had Twilight was easily the most aloof. Even her meek friend Fluttershy had a bigger friend count than she could dream of, if animal pals counted that is.

It did drive a couple of the girls bonkers at time, they regularly pestered her to hang out with them rather than to sit in the gloomy book vault like some old croon. Rainbow Dash did tease her the most but Twilight understood why they did it. They cared for her, simple as that. Few others did besides her parents and friends. Among them was the woman who had just exited the building, Ms. Celestia and a few of the regular visitors. Beyond them, everyone else was oblivious to Twilight, the unrecognizable face behind the counter ready to stamp the books for lease. Likely they considered her a bit of an oddball nerd who wanted no interaction with anyone.

Even the other assistant, Wallflower Blush, joked that she was just as invisible to everyone else like her. Twilight thought otherwise but she knew her word counted for little when there was no one to listen to it. Which partially made Wallflower’s comment ring with some truth sadly.

To keep herself from sinking too far into her thoughts Twilight ultimately decided to do her final round around the place before locking the doors and heading out for the day. Tucking her book into her backpack she got up and did a few stretches to rid of the little kinks in her back and neck. That old chair was beginning to be a nuisance but until the place had enough money to replace it, it would have to do.

Sipping a bit of water, Twilight rounded behind the solid wood table to the massive stairs besides her.

Even during her first time here Twilight had wondered how magical this place was. Almost as if taken from a palace, Canterlot Library was a great edifice with two floors completely stuffed to the brim with all manners of books, texts, scrolls, charts and even more. Its main lobby was a clean area, the very first thing most people saw the minute they came in. It did have enough room to have a dance battle, which by the way was strictly forbidden for obvious reasons, with enough study tables. Surrounding it was the contents for which it was known. Curved bookshelves, nearly twenty feet high in some places, awaited to be used by daily visitors.

Not that they did very much using but that was beside the point.

By single glance no one would think too much of the building, often its towering shelves misleading newcomers from its true size. In stark reality the whole architecture was larger than a school, not taking into account the slimy basement where the restoration room was or the break room. Twilight was not ashamed one bit to admit she had found herself lost in the great maze, twice no less.

Since then she had taken careful notes to learn the place inside and out as soon as she got the job. Always she ventured into the deepest reaches to make sure no straggler was left by accident. It would not be the first time but Twilight certainly wished to make it the last time it did not occur anymore. Poor guy had to wait until next day to be found by the janitor.

Once the backwall was scoured and the few books littered beyond their respective homes put back she then made her way back up.

She zigzagged seamlessly, her natural intellect allowing her to keep her sense of direction sharp at all times even when the corridors grew dark. Once the second floor was scanned for traces of yet-alive guests she hanged up a sign at each stair entries to block any last minute comers from disappearing from her sight.

A quick check on her watch told her the library was due to close in twenty minutes. Just as anticipated too. Having done this on a regular basis she had come to judge her activities without the need for a clock, most useful when her own clock did not have a light-up functionality and she often was nowhere near any to tell time in the less ventured corners of the building.

With half the building looked over she began idly walking the lower isles. These were thankfully not as big as those on the second floor due to the greater space for tables, couches and a few private study rooms for use. Not to mention that the children’s section was located on the backwall, just behind the checkout desk in case anything happened. Since their collection of books was diminutive so were the plastic shelves which meant a single glance was enough to reveal if someone was playing hide and seek or more than likely being too loud. It was often the first floor that had the messiest tables thanks to students or just idlers dropping by to look for a small piece of information to then leave without returning the book to its respective place.

Twilight did not have to worry much about putting these books up, only collecting them for Wallflower Blush to work them in the morning. She did not think it was too kind to leave the poor girl to do it all by herself but apparently most morning there was little to do besides sort books and read. Or just watch movies on her laptop.

Twilight decided to leave the subject well enough alone, preferring to spend those last minutes locking up the main entrance with only five minutes to close. She rounded the desk to grab the master key and made her way over to the great large wooden doors engraved with the equestrian logo of the library stamped on its panels.

As she grabbed the handle of the door a small click sounded from behind it. It took a bare second to register the door flying open. By mere chance Twilight held up her hands to catch the slab before it came into contact with her face. She grimaced as she looked over behind it to see who possibly had come in this late in the afternoon, four minutes till closing time no less.

Twilight did not properly see the person’s face, only a mane of wild red hair with yellow stripes running down it. Following the cascading flow of hair Twilight gave a quirk of her eyebrow. The newcomer was definitely a girl, a punk girl no less with lack of decency if she was to guess. The facts pointed at the girl having long boots, a stylish but somewhat questionable jean skirt and some sort of leather jacket.

Already Twilight was expecting to have her perfectly good day ruined by an insensitive person barging in. Twilight coughed aloud to catch the girl’s attention. Immediately the girl who was looking around for some item snapped rigid. She turned around to find herself with a rather miffed Twilight.

“Oh, sorry.” Apologized the punk girl. “Didn’t mean to barge in this late. Is it alright if I pick out a book?”

Twilight felt herself go dumbfound at the request. The gall of this woman! Twilight had made sure that this library was closed right on time, never later. Not once had she missed the deadline and to do so would besmirch her impeccable record thus far.

“It’s past closing time,” Twilight flatly said.

The girl looked down at her own watch and frowned.

“No it’s not. According to my clock I still got three minutes.”

Twilight felt her eye twitch at the comment. Just to be sure she looked at her clock hanging on the nearby wall. To her dismay she found that indeed there was but few valuable minutes left before the turn of the hour. She shot the girl a glare.

“Fine. Three minutes,” she said between gritting teeth.

The girl gave her a nod and quickly picked herself up from the spot. With an apologetic smile she then quickly darted behind on of the nearby isles. Twilight looked over to where the girl had waltzed through, very aware that her _type_ often did venture regularly into place such as this. And when they did there was generally trouble to be had.

She slipped behind the girl, knowing what she was doing was actively wrong against any library visitor but Twilight’s intentions were honest and she wanted to make sure this particular guest was behaving properly. With as much effort as humanly possible she listened carefully the sounds of book pages shuffling or the occasional grunts. With the general location narrowed down to the science section, Twilight stealthily moved in the shadows to the place.

She however found that the newcomer had by now piled up a sizable amount of books and was beginning to make her way over to the desk. Quickly she turned tail to arrive at her counter just in time before the girl did.

By the time the trouble maker dropped the heavy stack of books into the desk she found an out of breath Twilight fixing her glasses.

“Huh,” she eyed Twilight with raised eyebrow. “You okay? It seems like you just ran a marathon,”

Twilight felt herself turn pale. Quickly she gave her the biggest grin a liar could. “It’s nothing, just doing a few laps around the library,”

The girl seemed dumbfound at the statement. “Cool, I- huh- guess.”

Twilight felt her cheeks grow a bit red from shame, mostly for having just blatantly lied about spying on her less than two minutes ago. To take her mind of it she quickly began to scan the books. To her surprise she found that the girl was in fact reading –

“ _Intermediate’s Guide to Engineering_ ,” murmured Twilight aloud.

“Heh, yeah. Just something to study about,” chuckled nervously the girl.

Twilight gave her a grimace. What kind of girl who more than likely skips out on school has something to do with engineering. She of course did not say anything, only continuing to scan through the rest of the books. She did however caught the girl stealing a few glances here and there when she thought she was not looking but otherwise said nothing.

Finally, when the last book was stamped for the return date Twilight pushed the stack of half a dozen books for the redhead to grab.

“Awesome. And just on time too,” beamed the girl as she hefted the books in both arms.

Twilight gave her a dirty look for actively mocking her. Just as she said the time was right on the dot, 9:00 PM. As if on point the automatic light sensors began to loudly turn off the main headlight overhead, casting a looming dark over the entire library with the exception of the dimly lit wall lights.

Twilight quickly grabbed her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. As she exited the desk she found the girl standing in the same spot she had left her.

“How about if both of us go together, it’s dark after all outside,” she explained as she turned away from Twilight’s rather confused gaze, face somewhat indescribable.

Despite the tingling sensation in the back of her head that Twilight was perceiving as caution she did feel like there was something behind the shadows. It was silly, that was very much the most factual thing about it, but ever since she had been a child she had always hated the dark. Despised it more likely, which was somewhat an oxymoron considering the place she worked in was often dark itself.

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Twilight said with another blush of embarrassment.

She half expected for the girl to laugh at her or maybe begin to tease her about being scared of the dark. Instead she was stunned for find the girl letting out sigh of relief.

“Great then,” she chuckled. _Nervously_?

Twilight found the sound a bit difficult to comprehend but remained silent. All she did was nod before stepping beside the girl. With a mumble she asked the girl to follow her to the exit. Quietly they left the building, only stopping to lock the great oak doors with a great metallic ping.

Twilight turned to look at the girl standing in front of her, mountain of tomes half-hiding her from view.

“Guess this is it then. I’m guessing that’s your ride over there, isn’t it?” gestured the redhead towards the compact car, the same color as Twilight’s hair.

“Yeah, that’s me.” She said hesitantly. _Why did I just admit what my vehicle is like?_

“Oh, well, no need for me to walk you anywhere then,” she said in a low voice, the barest signs of disappointment seeping through. She turned to look back at Twilight with great shiny eyes, enough to cause Twilight to grip the leash on her bag. “I’ll be going if you’d like. Gotta study all these books, right?”

Twilight looked down at the books and only then did she realize she had made a mistake.

“I forgot to put your name under your record!” gasped the librarian with wide eyes.

“Did you,”

“I completely forgot to write down your name before we left the building.” Continued Twilight, ashamed she the simplest act had slipped her mind. “What am I going to do?”

She reached out for the lock only to withdraw her hand from the handle. Right, the building’s alarm would have been triggered already at the final lock of the door for safety reasons. She would have to wait until tomorrow morning when the silent alarm would be disactivated automatically.

“What? Can’t you just go in and type in my name on the file or write it down before I get written to the police for stealing books?” joked the girl.

“No,” exhaled Twilight. “Our security system is old and once the door is locked for the day it won’t deactivate until tomorrow morning. Thankfully your file is saved but I will need a name to write into the system once I come back tomorrow.”

Quickly Twilight took out the book she had been reading earlier in the day and a pen.

“What’s your name again?” Twilight asked as she prepared to jot down the identifying piece of information so she could later be on the alert for. No doubt the girl would likely be returning the books late, or worse, never. She suppressed a shudder at the mere thought of it.

The girl however gave her an sincere smile and stepped closer into Twilight’s personal space.

“Sunset Shimmer, at your service,”

Twilight felt a knot in her stomach form at the sweet sound of the girl’s voice. She doubted it was her real name but unfortunately it would have to do.

“Do you need my phone number as well?”

Twilight suddenly felt the air around them grow hot. In the beginning of autumn too. Impossible. “We -ahem- Canterlot doesn’t require phone numbers,”

“Okay Sunset Shimmer, your books are due in two weeks. There is a tardy fee of 25 cents for every day you miss returning each book and a compensation fee if you damage it of 10 dollars. Please be sure to return the books by the date or give us a call if you need an extension on the deadline,”

Sunset Shimmer let out a small chuckle as Twilight finished the rehearsed speech she had given every customer at the library for the past two years. It, however, did not bode well with Twilight who gave the girl a curious glare.

“What?” she near-growled as she pushed her glasses against the bridge of her nose.

“No, nothing. Just, this is the first time I’ve heard you say something that was longer than just a couple of words.” Sunset explained with a light shrug. “Also, now you know my name but what about you. What’s your name?”

Twilight blinked. It took her a second to respond, wary, of course. And meekly too.

“Twilight. Twilight Sparkle,” she squeaked.

“Twilight Sparkle,” repeated the girl softly, the corners of her lips lifting higher with delight. She seemingly repeated those words two more times, each a decibel lower than the last, as if playing with the letters of the name. “You have a lovely name,”

Invoking a light blush, Twilight shied from the girl by hugging her book close to her chest. “I- huh- thanks, I think,”

With a nod, Sunset Shimmer stepped back to allow Twilight a bit more room to make her way towards her dainty car. “Now that I know your name I guess it is really time for me to go.”

“Goodbye then,”

“Bye to you too,” said Sunset as she began to backpedal towards a small truck parked further back. “See you soon, hopefully,”

Twilight barely began to register that last word before she glanced up to look at the flaming mane flowing away from her into the dark sunset bidding her a wave.

Sunset Shimmer.

Twilight would not forget that name, she would make sure of it. Not until those books were returned, hopefully.


	2. That Girl is Trouble

Twilight finally relaxed with the deepest sigh she ever had. It had taken a long time to finally finish through the multitude of children all eager to check out their own books. She was sure she would have enjoyed seeing their happy faces as they each held two or three books. The sight might have been endearing, bordering on gleeful too. Unfortunately she wished she had been a passerby rather than at the center of it all.

Earlier she had been told that the library would be host to a small trip by the local elementary school. They however forgot to mention it would be two buses filled with impatient children all wanting to visit the grand library for the first time.

For the next couple hours Twilight found herself drowned in screeching noises, infuriating laughter, germfilled coughing and sneezing, not to mention the occasional crying or bookshelves creaking under the weight of kids climbing atop of them. It took an additional 30 minutes to begin the long line of listing all the books the school would have to watch out for since they would be responsible for the printed works after all.

Thankfully there was no one left to check out since everyone saw the mass of diminutive bodies and decided it was wise to come back later. Twilight sigh in relief. Energy drained and mental fortitude spent from refraining to yell at the kids to stop she weakly reached out for her cup of coffee.

By no means was she an addict, at least in relative terms to everyone else Twilight worked with, but right this moment she needed that pick-me up that instant. She dragged the cup along the counter and raised it to her lips, eyes closed as she waited for the bittersweet liquid to jumpstart her brain once more.

It never did. She snapped her eyes wide open before growling at the empty cup which she had unknowingly drank dry minutes ago. Pushing the cup aside desk she slumped on her seat.

Checking her phone she found no text messages to help her forget her misery. It was nearly the coming of the holidays which meant everyone was out and about. Rainbow Dash doing indoor track for her school, Pinkie Pie organizing another kid’s party, Rarity and Applejack out on a date while Fluttershy was busy at the animal sanctuary. Everyone was busy or tangled in some other business.

Twilight glanced down at her backpack. Homework was finished, her second option to destress wasted. As it turned out having done in foresight had left her with nothing else to look forward to.

With moral low Twilight looked at the clock, blowing a strand of hair out of her way from her slumped position. Clock reading at 10:00 AM, Twilight thumped her head against the table and let out a sorrowful groan. Today was her short day as they were to close early due to renovations but not early enough in Twilight’s opinion. She just wanted to go home and sleep the sudden stress away. She would leave in a couple of hours but until then she was by her lonesome until then. Even Mrs. Celestia was not bound to come in until an hour before she left, leaving Twilight to consider how unfortunate her luck had been today.

And it was about to get much worse she noted as from the corner of her eye she noticed a flutter of red catching her attention. Twilight lightly tilted her head up to see the newcomer, her brain processing where exactly she had seen that particular tone of red and yellow. The lack of caffeine was of no help either.

“Hmm,” spoke a familiar singsong voice lingering above her. “Is this a bad time? I can come back later if you need,”

Twilight’s memory righted itself in a loud mental snap. In the blink of an eye Twilight pushed herself upright as she stared back at the girl standing in front of her. With eyes wide from astonishment, the purple-headed librarian kept her eyes fixed on Sunset Shimmer looking back at her somewhat confused.

Sunset cocked her head to the side, spilling those locks of blazing red and amber over her shoulder, a detail that Twilight was unsure as to why she was noticing. More to the point, why she was trailing her eyes over that silky, if somewhat wild hair further down. It was then that Twilight noticed that just beneath where Sunset’s hairline ended were a stack of books cradled in the girl’s arms.

“The books,” Twilight whispered to herself in disbelief, demonstrating her complete (lack of) powers of deduction.

Sunset raised the items in her hands a bit up with a smile forming on her lips. “Yep, back just the way they left. Though I made sure not to bother coming in too late like last time.”

Twilight found herself incapable of speaking from the shocking turn of events which had caught her off guard. She nodded instead.

Taking the silent response as an invitation Sunset set down the column of books on the counter for Twilight to check back in. Making immediate use of the sudden burst of energy which had come from seemingly nowhere, as well as strange fluttering feeling in Twilight’s stomach, the librarian began to work. Rather loud beeps emanated from the computer as Twilight scanned the barcodes of each of the books, opening the covers and running her fingers over the pages to quickly assess whether they had been damaged at the same time.

The whole process took but a few minutes but to Twilight it felt as though time was speeding by with each scan. In the blink of an eye Twilight found herself staring at the cover of the last book while a little machine was whirring up at her desk.

“All done,” Twilight said as she said as she tore off the receipt and handed it to the punk-looking girl waiting for her.

“Thanks,” Sunset replied with a grin as she stuffed the piece of paper into her purse.

Twilight suddenly realized that whatever had powered her through the entire time was fizzing away fell back against the recline of her chair. She did not know what had made her ignore the past couple hours’ fatigue nor what created that tingling sensation in her finger as she ran her hand over the cover of the book. She glanced down and saw that the book itself was merely a motivational publication named _Judging by the Cover,_ by Equine Hoofeltoe. Weird name.

“It’s a good book, if you’re interested,” said Sunset.

Twilight then realized she had completely forgotten about the trouble maker leaning against the counter looking at her with great big eyes and lovel- a smirk. Just a smirk. Nothing else.

“Oh, really?” Twilight croaked as she pulled the book in to look at its back cover.

“Yep. He’s a local author supposedly, even attended Canterlot High,” Sunset answered as she pointed down to the author’ biography. “i think you’d enjoy it,”

Twilight gulped at the question, unsure of whether it was curiosity that was attracting her to read the book or if she should even dare because the rebellious-looking girl had. She looked up and found the girl seemingly drawing closer, those shimmering eyes luring Twilight in.

“I’m- I’m not sure,” Twilight spoke in a hoarse voice as she gripped the book tight until her knuckles were white.

The change was noticeable, at least it felt that much obvious to Twilight, seeing Sunset go from enthusiast to _crestfallen?_

“Oh,” she murmured as she pulled back, eyes looking away from Twilight.

“Not that I don’t want to,” Twilight quickly added from out of nowhere, a bit too loud too. She clasped her hands over her mouth as a couple of people looked at the librarian with baffled looks. Ducking her head between shoulders Twilight gave the visitors a shy wave. “Sorry,”

Sunset chuckled as she looked back and forth at the crowd of shrugging young adults and Twilight. “Never thought I’d see the day when the librarian was more loud than a group of teenagers,”

Twilight felt her cheeks burn red bright as she tried to hide behind a book.

“Sorry,” she said,

“Don’t be,” Sunset spoke with a grin. “Also, why can’t you?”

“Huh?”

Sunset gestured to the book Twilight was holding up as cover with a free hand. “You said you couldn’t, not that you didn’t want to. Why?”

 _Oh!_ Twilight thought to herself. “It’s nothing really, just- nothing.”

Sunset, unconvinced by the stammering bookworm in front of her, cast her a raised eyebrow. “Huh-uh,” she smirked with crossed arms. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“Umm, no,” responded Twilight with a push of her glasses up to her nose ridge, more in question than as a firm reply.

“Good, because I don’t.” Sunset leaned once more against the counter. This time she gave Twilight a predatory look that made the poor nerdy part-timer feel weak on her knees. “So, why can’t you?”

Twilight felt cornered, knowing full well she was behind a solid barrier which separated her from the female patron. It was those eyes, the intensity which caused Twilight’s throat to wound up, breath hitching. She could feel her nails digging into the poor abused print for safety. But there was none, instead she found a burning gaze staring her down, enough for her to tremble.

“I- umm- the- I have, ahem, other books on my list,” Twilight managed to reply.

“Do you?” said the girl, head tilting to the other side causing those alluring locks of hair to pull to the other shoulder.

“I- huh- yeah, I do.”

Twilight felt her spine go rigid as she saw Sunset lean ever closer, her voice dropping lower, huskier, entrancing her.

“And how long is this list if may ask,” she spoke, the volume coming closer to a whisper.

“A-” gulp “-bit long.” Twilight unknowingly answered.

“Pity,” answered Sunset with a flutter of her eyes.

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed, mind a daze as a soft aroma hit her. The smell of fresh oranges, sweet and powerful too.

“Guess I best be going,”

Twilight was barely able to consider those words as Sunset pushed herself from the desk, her fingers dragging over its flat surface, particularly near to the coffee cup where Twilight’s name was scribbled into.

“I’ll see you around then,” Sunset bid her a wink and a wave. “By the way, your cup is empty”

If Twilight had been standing she would have fallen to the ground, legs like jelly at the moment while her entire head was swimming in a warm scent of fruit which caused her eyes to dilate and throat to run dry.

Only after a couple of minutes had passed by, when the bell tolled for the change of the hour, Twilight slowly began to regain her sluggish senses back enough to think back on their little encounter. She did not know what had just happened, made all the more infuriating that she could barely even recall half of what just occurred.

Looking over to the cup, Twilight felt her fingers trace over the name written on it, the same place where Sunset had gently touched. Feeling her knees tremble once more Twilight quickly tossed the cup into the trash bin and sag against her seat.

 _That girl is trouble_. Twilight thought as she feared the thought of ever seeing that blazing red and yellow mane. _Only trouble._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Post: Next Week.


	3. Hold Your Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about not updating but here is a chapter to make up for it. Only 2 chapters to go...

Twilight groaned once more as she fell flat-face against the surface of the keyboard.

By some cruel joke conjured by the fates or Discord, she awoke to miserable day that she was yet reeling from. With various issues ranging from no more caffeine in her cupboard to Spike having a serious tummy ache the part-time librarian and full-time student was having a mega-time headache. Only by chance was she able to come in today but doing so had forfeited any breakfast or lunch.

Now exhaustion had seeped in and with nothing to do but stare at the keyboard up close, Twilight whined in self-pity. Her stomach groaned loudly, it felt like having a massive sinkhole opening up inside her stomach which she could do nothing about. Of course the library had a snack vending machine, dispensing some light meals even if they were a bit cold.

Sadly, like a horrible recurring nightmare, the poorly maintained machine was lassoed up with caution tape and a crude sign: _Out of Service!_

Desperation gnawing her nerves, Twilight looked around the library. As it often was, the bleak weather meant that the library saw few, if any, visitors, leaving nothing but the muffled whistles of air from outside. And her. Alone. Hungry. Really Hungry.

And those books in the cooking section just opposite of her looked tasty just about now.

_Bam!_

Twilight jumped up with a loud squeak, glasses skewing sideways as they bounced on the ridge of her nose. She whipped around to where the noise came from, a frown creasing her brow.

To her dismay, not only had the day gone horrible but it seemed that it was still had unfinished business with Twilight. Her face became rigid as she attempted to stare back at the girl whom had loudly entered the sanctity of the library. With gritting teeth, Twilight kept a sharp eye on the girl who had her back turned while she shook her umbrella dry.

 _Umbrella,_ Twilight groaned at the sight. _She forgot that too!._

She face palmed herself, dragging the hand down her face and partially recreating the painting of Edvard Munch’s _the Scream_ on the spot. She corrected herself after letting out a long deflated sigh tom compliment the fatigued look of hers.

To her surprise she notice the newcomer step out from the shadows of the entryway. While the troublesome girl had come and gone a couple more times since, Sunset strode up with a sense of familiarity up to the reception desk. Umbrella in one hand and a small box in another she appeared lax despite the apparent downpour by the looks of it had made Twilight stare at her with a mix of resentment and nervousness.

And that smile. Twilight felt uneasy about it but could not put a finger on what.

“Hi there,” Sunset waved to Twilight as she approached the desk.

“Hi,” Twilight answered a bit more grumpily than she imagined, pushing her glasses into place.

“Oof, gloomy day got to you,” Sunset questioned wittingly. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Can’t say I blame you,”

At first Twilight wished to respond to the blatant quinine, something the purple-loving girl did not stand for even if an ounce of it were true. However before she even had the chance to retort a sudden smell struck her senses, catching her by surprise so suddenly that her mind went blank. It was a sweet aroma, a light mix of banana and something else, a smaller but yet sharper smell. Nuts. That’ll be the other ingredient. Even more tantalizing than the smell was the heat of it, a warm radiance that beckoned Twilight to follow it to the source.

She glanced down, her stomach letting out a loud grumble as she caught sight of the culprit. It was a little cardboard box with a transparent top which taunted Twilight with a peek at the delectable banana and nut muffins. Her mouth began to salivate as she saw that a bit of steam slither from the gaps on the lid.

“Woah there, aren’t you the hungry horse,” Sunset quickly drew away the box filled with the snacks, smirking at the assaulter.

Twilight shook herself out of the trance. “Sorry, it’s just I’m-”

_Grrrrrrl_

Twilight turned a deep shade of red as the sounds of a grumpy stomach nearly deafened the empty building. The word ‘embarrassed’ was not nearly enough to describe the feeling that was going through Twilight that moment. She wished her body would listen for once at her pleas of help but it mocked her by letting out another loud grumble, one to match the sounds of a thundering storm brewing outside.

Sunset Shimmer blankly stared.

Within time however Sunset began to tremble, her shoulders bobbing up and down before she attempted to hide her mouth, after which she let out a restrained snort. She dropped her umbrella to clutch her stomach, bending over in laughter. Even her usual regal presence seemed to have been flung out the window as she let out undignified snorts and gasps for air.

Eventually she managed to calm down, during which time Twilight grew irritated at being the butt end of a joke. With crossed arms, a killer glare and foot tapping rapidly, she waited until Sunset managed to pull herself together at last.

Wiping away a tear she looked to Twilight with a somewhat bashful look, though no less regretful of what she had just witnessed. “Sorry, sorry. I wasn’t trying to laugh at you,”

 _Clearly_ , thought Twilight with a huff of indignation.

Leaning down to pick up her fallen item, Sunset let out a soft breath, whatever baggage she had been carried seemed to have lightened by the change of mood, even if it had been at Twilight’s expense.

“Here,” she said as she shifted about, drawing a muffin from the box.

At first Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw a single muffin being pulled out, possibly as pay for having just laughed at her. Even her brain was having difficulty believing this hooligan even daring to share a piece of her admittedly scrumptious-looking muffin. Surely this was all some type of a joke, maybe even a prank.

That same thought seemed all the more believable as Twilight noticed that Sunset drew the single muffin to herself before setting in on the desk and then pushing the remainder to Twilight. If it could have, Twilight’s jaw might just have dropped like an ship’s anchor, probably creating a crater on the library floor.

“My apologies,” Sunset smiled as she patted the little pink box.

“But- but your food?”

Sunset chuckled as she bit into the edge of the little pastry, her eyes shining with some form of smugness to them. It made Twilight feel all the more inadequate to even consider talking, as that familiar feeling erupted from within her stomach, her heart pounding loudly against her ribcage.

“I wasn’t thinking of eating them all, I only got them as a gift at the bakery if you could believe it. But since it seems you need it, I see no reason in letting them go to waste with me,” Sunset explained.

Twilight felt herself nod, too frozen to even speak. Sunset tilted her head, running a thumb over the edge of her lips to catch a sticky crumb.

Almost as if time had slowed down, Twilight was forced to watch as Sunset licked her finger, her tongue lavishing the digit, letting out a soft sigh possibly from the flavor of the crumb. The mere sight made Twilight feel weak, her legs wobbling while her hands curled into fists. A sudden hunger awoke inside of her, one which was far more impatient, more powerful, and certainly different than the one she currently possessed. A light sweat broke on Twilight’s forehead as she continued to stare openly at Sunset whom licked her finger clean, completely devoted to the task at hand to notice Twilight fighting some internal demons of her own.

With a lazy smile, Sunset pulled her finger from her mouth with a small, wet pop. Not even looking at Twilight, she turned around with the grace of a lady, flinging her hair back, before addressing Twilight with a simple glance over her shoulder.

“I’ll be catching up on my regular reading. Enjoy the meal,” she muttered, her voice low, throaty.

A baffled Twilight still under the spell watched as Sunset sashayed across the vast space into her usual space, the one she often ventured and stayed for hours without end. To what end, Twilight did not know, nor did she care right this minute. What was important however was her pulsating heart, which appeared to have only increased its tempo as Sunset stopped just at the corner of the isle. She remained still for a second before turning around and winking at Twilight.

In the blink of an eye she was gone, the loose end of her flaming hair the only proof that she had been standing there.

Unaware, for the umpteenth time since having met her, Twilight found herself ensnared. By some dark magic she had been enthralled into standing up, to remain on the spot and witness the entire encounter without ever providing more than physical responses.

It was witchery, considered Twilight, she being a complete academic at heart. But even she could not deny that whatever Sunset had done to her was supernatural, something out of the plane of existence.

And by that mysterious power, Twilight felt her legs collapse, giving way to her weight until she hit the comfort of her chair with a light thump. That too seemed to be happening every time they met. Twilight continued staring at the corner of the isle, just beyond the bookshelf where Sunset was likely having the time of her life for having cursed Twilight with devilry no doubt.

She gulped some air and ran the back of her hand over her brow, wiping away the droplets of sweat from the anxiety? No, fear perhaps. No, no. That was not it. It was something, a fleeting feeling that appeared somehow every time Sunset neared her. An involuntary reaction to the threat that girl possessed. Whichever it was, it sure made Twilight rethink her intended plan for their next encounter.

After much deep breathing and a bit of meditation, Twilight eventually settled properly into her seat, listening out for the obvious signs of the girl laughing somewhere in the background. None came, much to her surprise, she was sure she might have heard a light peep or a cackle but no. Instead all she heard was the sounds of the wind howling outside, muffled clapping overhead past the thick masonry walls.

Alert for any sudden surprises, Twilight eventually relented her guard, slacking into her seat. For a brief moment she considered grabbing that taunting box and just dumping it into the trash bin.

She did not, of course. What kind of person would Twilight be for looking at the gift in the horse’s mouth if she did not eat whatever else was in the little warm pastry box?

Fiddling with the lid, she pushed the cardboard open to reveal three small muffins, all the exact same size and shape, each adorned with a light sprinkle of sugar. As she reached for the first, Twilight noticed that beyond the pastries was a small cup, nothing big nor fancy, but clearly not belonging in the box.

Taking the cup out, Twilight raised both eyebrows at the new found gift. It was a cup, the very same that her favorite coffee shop sold and the exact same she tended to buy. It radiated a heat which made Twilight wonder how longer it had been there. Surely not too long since the bittersweet called for her.

Hesitantly - actually more akin to desperately - Twilight popped the lid open and was utterly taken by the same aroma of the creamy caramel coffee that she always bought. It was her favorite, the only one she constantly bought and never failed to disappoint. Twilight found admonishing her feeble will at the sight of such a lovely meal. The fact she had not eaten the entire day was simply no excuse enough.

Still she sipped a tiny, itsy bitsy bit of the foamy liquid, still berating her poor soul form giving in to temptation too easily. The sensation of the caffeinated drink felt as though sparks against her lips, a refreshing feel pooling inside her chest from the heat alone.

Her mind swam freely from the rush of electricity flooding her body, her beaten nerves jump starting from the brief exposure to the swig. It took a full minute or two for Twilight to realize just how much she had missed this, the relaxing feeling that so far had eluded her this entire day.

Even as the incoherent tapping of rain against the roof echoed across the roof, Twilight realized that for the first time since she had woken that day, her mind was at peace.

Save for one little nagging thought.

Had Sunset known this was Twilight’s favorite drink?


	4. Free Cake

“And this girl, you think she’s playing you?” asked Rarity in a curious voice.

Twilight grimaced at the question, trying to do so while not moving so much. The last thing she needed besides a long week of work was being yelled at for not letting Rarity do her work. No one wanted to be yelled at by Rarity.

“I wouldn’t say played. It’s- something,”

Twilight sighed.

It was some time now and Sunset Shimmer was dropping by regularly. Nearly every other day the girl came inside with that same predatory smile of hers and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Without fail, save for the times she did not come at all, Twilight shuddered at the sight of the girl dropping by, making a comment or two before going up into the second floor. From there, sitting at one of the tables near the ledge Twilight could clearly see the fiery redhead look at her from the corner of her eye.

“- it’s weird.” Twilight concluded.

Applejack gave Rarity a shrug before sitting down her cup of apple juice.

“Now Twilight, be honest, is this girl botherin’ you? Cause you know I have some mighty fine way of settling her down for good if you want,”

Rarity gave Apple a chastising look but settled into a concerned look.

“Violence aside, do you think she is harassing you?”

Twilight gave the girls sitting in the living room a slightly incredulous look, more so because she herself was taken aback by such a question. She hinged her mouth open to speak but ultimately did not. Instead she recalled back to the times they had talked.

Sunset was… odd, yes, but certainly not the kind to be causing trouble, at least none that Twilight had seen just yet. The girl still struck Twilight as something peculiar, something that made her heart race just enough for her sense of absolute calmness to waver and then break at many times. Whenever they met it was like sending a surge of electricity up Twilight’s spine, often causing her to stutter, a rare occurrence becoming increasingly frequent.

“I don’t think so,”

She takes a sip from the cup of coffee, uncertainty still in the air.

Fluttershy, the girl having sat in the large single seater recliner with a squirrel in her lap, leans closer. Twilight lowers her cup and listens for the meek girl to speak. “She isn’t bullying you or anything horrible, is she?”

Twilight shakes her head, a brief smile overcoming her.

“No, Fluttershy, she isn’t.”

The group looked at each other with some degree of mixed curiosity and concern, neither speaking nor willing to break the silence for the moment. Instead they carried on watching the mindless show they had elected to put as background noise.

Fluttershy’s and Rainbow Dash’s apartment was a slight mess with the group of six girls plus Spike and a few odd animals Fluttershy kept. It was that month’s chosen abode for their usual get togethers and thus far had proven popular thanks to the comfy bean bags Rainbow Dash had purchased. Even Spike was comfortably napping away his full stomach in one of the more ample ones.

It had been a relatively comfortable night filled with some snacks, gameboards and a bit of chat along the way to ease them out of their daily lives. The stress of work had left everyone’s mind when they began telling stories about mishaps or random events that made everyone laugh. Everyone had stories to tell, from Rarity fuming aloud about a very irritating customer she had dealt with only that morning to Fluttershy’s adventures at catching a cat stuck on a tree. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were never behind, their own little tales were frequent as they were entertaining.

And that left Twilight.

Normally Twilight had rare stories, often the few she had were of rowdy teenagers or horrible experiences in the books she scanned on their return. They were nothing on Rainbow Dash’s level of awe but the few bits she could offer had the other girls amused and often shocked. They were still not over the book that had been returned with snot all over it. Nor Twilight for that matter.

But that had been every other day. And it would have remained as much were it not for a slip of Twilight’s tongue about a certain someone she had been dealing with for about three weeks now. With the proverbial cat out of the bag questions were immediately thrown at her.

Thankful that they had settled to watching a terrible comedy flick the first to break the silence was Rainbow Dash when she got up and walked to the fridge. A gasp was heard across the room.

“Babe, where’s the food?!”

Fluttershy gave a very short and diminutive apology and hastily skittered to the kitchen where her girlfriend was no doubt making a mess. Everyone’s heads turn to meet each other and then back again.

“Hey guys,” Dash appeared through the doorway, “bad news,”

“Let me guess, we’re out of food?”

Rainbow Dash huffed and then nodded.

“Sorry everyone. We were so busy in the clinic with all the little animals that we forgot to pick up food.”

Fluttershy shrank back a bit, a blush of embarrassment dusting her rosy cheeks.

“That’s alright Fluttershy, we all know you two have been busy handling the clinic what with the doctor being out of town and all. Plus it’s no big deal, we can just order something if you guys would like.”

At the mention of food a fluff of pink hair popped from under the pillow forth that everyone had nearly forgotten had even existed until then. With a shriek the girl bounced from behind the stack with a sheet readily at hand.

“ORRRRRRRRRRRRR how about we go here!”

The flyer as it turned out, had been shoved right up to Rainbow Dash’s face that the girl recoiled. She stepped back and grumbled as she snatched the sheet dangling from the air. Twilight wanted to ask what the sheet said but instead it was Rarity who got up from Applejack’s lap and swiped it from Rainbow Dash’s hands when the girl began to read it to herself.

“Hey!”

Ignoring the exclamation, Rarity began to read.

“Equestria Coffee House, discounted pastries every weekend, handmade food for all, vegan choices accommodated. Bring a party of four and more and get free cake. Really?”

That last aimed at Pinkie Pie.

To no one’s surprise Pinkie was trembling from excitement, a squeal barely contained as she looked ready to bust like a party popper. Heck the girl no doubt had some stuffed somewhere in that fluffy dress of hers.

“Now hold on there Pinkie Pie, don’t go explodin’ before we get pickin’. You ever been there?”

“Oh yes, every other Monday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday, Wednesday and on holidays.”

“But it says here they’ve only opened at the end of last month.”

“Yep.”

Twilight blinked, her brain running some calculations for a couple of seconds until she came up with a confounding conclusion.

“But Pinkie, that means you’ve been to this place nearly for 26 days,”

“27 actually,”

“You what?!”

“Hold your horses there fella,” Applejack cut in before Rainbow Dash could let out a storm of colorful words that would have made Fluttershy ashamed of. “You mean to tell us you’ve been going to this place that long? How in tarnation’s have you got the money for it?”

“I know a gal,” Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Besides I don’t go there to eat all the time.”

“Somehow I highly doubt that,” Rarity rolled her eyes.

“Back up, you know this girl. She works there, as in she can get us discounted food. Am I hearing this right?”

“I don’t think she means it that way Rainbow-”

“Maybe,”

Pinkie Pie might as well pointed at a new extreme sport and told Rainbow Dash go win first prize because she shot off like lightning out of the room and came back with a sweater for both her and Fluttershy.

“Come on guys, we’ve got places to be,”

“And where the heck do you think you’re going?”

Twilight felt she nearly snorted when she heard those words come out of Rarity instead of the usual Applejack. Southern drawl and all. It was kind of cute seeing some of that personality rub off on the girl after dating for nearly two years now.

“Yeah, what she said.” Applejack joined in, slightly astounded too but quickly brushing it off.

Rainbow pulled her hoodie down in a single deft move and was helping her own girlfriend. “Where else? If we go now we can get there just in time to get us a free cake.”

“Thanks for inviting us too,” a sarcastic Apple grumbled.

“Hey, I was about too.”

Twilight had no doubts Rainbow would and she was kind of curious about this new place though that might be the slight hunger settling in. Her biggest worry was Pinkie Pie who she was concerned the amount of times going to this place would make her sick from eating the same food. Or worse, get kicked out because of her – enthusiastic personality.

“How about you Twilight? You coming?”

She gave Applejack a questioning look which was met by a slightly defeated and possibly just-as-hungry-as-she-was farmer. Rarity was no doubt hesitant as Apple was but the girl rolled her eyes and let out a drawn sigh.

“If I must,” she conceded.

“Pinkie?”

“Count me in!”

Duly noted. “Why not, I’m sure the place is much better than it is being advertised.”

With a whoop Rainbow pulled a squeaky Fluttershy out the door, the rest of the girls following suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on schedule... maybe.
> 
> One more chapter.


	5. A Heart Affliction

How do you know when you are smitten?

Completely smitten. As in the ‘Oh No I Can’t Function’ kind of smitten?

That was Sunset Shimmer. Right from the moment she laid eyes on Twilight Sparkle, she knew the girl was going to be her undoing.

There was no real quality that Sunset could pinpoint, heck it could be all the qualities Twilight possessed that made Sunset feel like a teenager all over again. Up until then Sunset had dated, some jockeys here, a few punk rockers there, they all had been really nice but none had sparked that drumming beat in her heart as much as the awkward and silent librarian that day.

They were on opposite planes, Sunset being more social, vocal, perhaps a bit too much into some horror movies, music, singing. Meanwhile there was Twilight, the girl was the ‘Too Smart For You’ kind of type, but not really. Sunset had expected Twilight to be a snobbish, maybe rude. Instead the girl was helpful, honest, her expressions and mood open for everyone to see but she kept herself professional.

At least most of the time. Sunset blushed and mentally high-fived herself at the number of times Twilight had broken through some of that indifferent attitude, shedding some clues as to who Twilight really was.

They were small things, habits that someone only close to her would notice.

For example: Twilight never went without a pen on her pocket, sometimes even used it as a hair ornament. The color varied but she had it ready no matter what. Every day without fail Twilight would pick out a new book to read, something light, perhaps from the fairy tail section. There were times her eyebrows crunched up and she would stick her tongue out while reading. If there was time she would pick up her phone, which had a photo of an adorable puppy as a background (and no Sunset was not lingering over her shoulder when she found out…), and would read science articles.

There were a few other things Sunset had learned. Twilight’s favorite cup of coffee was Cream and Caramel Warm Latte and, through trial and error (mostly by looking down at her when she ate the box of cupcakes… and no she was not being a creeper), liked blueberry cupcakes the most.

Perhaps Sunset’s favorite moments were when Twilight would be caught flustered when Sunset had the courage to put on her flirtatious attitude despite the fast-thumping inside her chest. If she was lucky, and she had been almost every time, Twilight would sometimes let out a squeak aloud. It was just too cute… She was too cute.

And Sunset was dying because of it.

She had courage, sometimes it came out of nowhere but never when she wanted it. The last time she managed to slip her hand over Twilight’s when she retrieved her book. The two looked stunned and Sunset nearly had a heart attack when she saw Twilight’s blushing cheeks.

She was having a heart attack just remembering that too!

Oh she had it bad.

Bad bad.

So bad she forgot she was in a closet full of canned food-

\- just like at work.

...

_Oh no oh no oh no!_

“Sunset! Where have you been?”

Quick as she could the fiery-redhead slipped from the storage room into the kitchen area where Ms. Luna was standing nearby, the owner of the restaurant tapping her foot on the ground. Sunset knew she had made a slight error in disappearing without so much as a word to Ms. Luna. Embarrassed, she slowed to a pace with her hear tucked between her shoulders.

“Sunset,” Ms. Luna breathed when she caught sight of her, shoulders slacking in relief.

“Sorry Ms. Luna,”

“Where have you been,” she repeated with no small degree of disappointment in her tone. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Her ears felt red hot in shame, she had been so deep in her own thoughts that she had forgotten about her job. It was no excuse but she could not come up with anything more than, “I got caught up doing something,”

Ms Luna looked at her and from the way her eyes sharpened she knew it was true, albeit not the entire truth. It was with no small amount of relief when Ms. Luna went slack with a soft sigh.

“Very well, I just hope it wasn't anything too important,” Ms. Luna breathed. Licking her thumb, she began flipping through the small stack of orders on her clipboard. “Here we are. I have a job for you. Think you can manage?"

Sunset gulped, a broken but relieved smile drawing her face. "Yes, of course,"

"It’s that Pinkie-girl of yours, the one that keeps coming-”

“-almost every day?” Sunset finished with a chuckle, her shoulders relaxing.

Ms. Luna appeared amused, as she should be. Pinkie Pie had fast become their number one client.

“Yes, her. I’ll leave her for you to handle,” she held out Sunset's forgotten notepad. "And please keep an eye on her. I don't mind having her join our birthday chorus but I doubt the customers will, especially if she has any more of those trombones hidden around."

Sunset felt her tense muscles relax as Ms. Luna handed her the notepad and pointed to the door. "Table 6,"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her Ms. Luna."

"I trust you will."

Bidding a small thank you she hopped to it, thankful her reputation had no doubt come to save the day. Now that her fear of being reprimanded by Ms. Luna was turned into relief for being let off the hook Sunset was more than ready to put in all the effort into the last few hours in her shift.

Taking several jugs of milk, chocolate, sugar and some other sweets (yes, Pinkie ate energy as much as she wasted it), Sunset piled them over near the table. She was sure that Pinkie Pie was going to order her usual, a Tres Leches Supercharged Latte… such a thing had never existed until she came but Sunset was not going to deny it did sell (a bit much if you asked her). For prosperity they would remain at the ready.

Once the ingredients were set for when the order inevitably came, Sunset tidied herself up a bit on the nearby mirror before going outside. With her mind clear and set back on track, Sunset felt a wave of energy drive her. Determined not to be impeded by any more thoughts of a cute librarian, Sunset pushed the doors to the restaurant wide open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I lied, I added more chapters because why not.  
> Small chapter but hey, it just means a bit more pinning and painful flirting.
> 
> Next update: Dec. 12


	6. When the Universe Conspires

“So, this is the place, huh?”

“Yep!” Pinkie Pie threw her arms wide open.

Twilight looked around, surprised this wasn’t something out of a clown movie draped in balloons, festoons and all kinds of goons. It had charm, it was a café after all. But it seemed a bit more – calm. That was the most shocking of all, the unexpected mood of the place in comparison to Pinkie Pie who had by her own admission come here so often she could have well lived here. She shuddered to think at how possible that last thought sounded.

From outside it looked like a bookstore of sorts, with antique windows, large thick velvety curtains and old fashioned lamps decorating the entrance. It held an air of intrigue and royalty all at once, as on the inside the area was spacious, with high royal purple cushioned booths adorned the walls draping to the back of the café and back. In the middle, there were tables laid out, with majestic candles and silverware readily available. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed, soothing lo-fi music playing in the background.

Certainly not what she had expected but welcomed. She was taking in the atmosphere of the place, looking over to some of the patrons as she did, quickly noticing how out of place she was.

The Prancing Pony, the café they had come to visit, was not devoid of customers, with a few of its spaces filled by young adults or teenagers with the occasional elderly couple. And that was the crux of the issue, ‘couple’.

Piecing the pieces, Twilight realized that the place could be used as a romantic spot if one so desired, the vibe of the place fitted to it.

Having made the discovery Twilight felt even more out of place than usual. She had already thought herself often a fifth wheel (sometimes sixth if Pinkie was around) to the group hangouts she joined. It was hard not to, Applejack being all lovey-dovey with Rarity while Rainbow Dash showed some gigantic restraint in her usual self and was far more caring for Fluttershy. It was endearing seeing them they way they acted, bring out qualities she had not seen in them even after being friends for nearly a decade now.

Like now, with Rarity chastising Applejack about her manners to take off the cowboy hat with no real bite other than to swipe it from her hands and wear it herself. Or as Rainbow Dash adjusted herself to allow a somewhat tired Fluttershy lean on her shoulder, whispering small tidbits that made the meek girl giggle. Yeah, there was reason for Twilight to feel like a pony out of a stable. While they had each other the dynamics had changed enough that things felt out of place.

Unsurprisingly the only person who did not seem to mind or notice any of these small quirks was Pinkie Pie, both a blessing and a mild inconvenience aside. Thus far the bubbly girl had kept her jovial attitude towards everything, going so far as to help make many unforgettable moments like helping Rainbow Dash plan her first anniversary for Fluttershy in secret or distracting Applejack for nearly a whole day to allow Rarity the time to fix her a nice gown for a date of theirs. Helpful a friends as she was, Pinkie had also made them unforgettable memories in many other ways. Heck, the fire department still called every other week to make sure there no fireworks inside Fluttershy’s house. (They had scoured the place, twice over and still the illegal contraband could still be found months later. The bomb squad took care of it but since then Fluttershy kept Pinkie Pie on a short leash when she visited.)

Bring herself back from her meandering thoughts, Twilight wondered if perhaps she too would feel the way they did. Already she was wondering what made the girls suddenly click together as if they belonged to one another.

She midway her own thoughts when she heard a click of footsteps from beside her. She did not give it a second thought until she heard Pinkie speak up.

"Oh hi Sunset!"

Twilight froze.

“Hi Pinkie, decided to drop by again?” her singsong voice made Twilight gulp for breath as she looked from behind Applejack. “And you brought your friends too,”

“Yep! This is Sunset everyone, she’s one of the waitresses here and is the girl I was talking about making that super special deluxe cake.” Somehow, mid daydreams, Twilight had never heard her name be mentioned, but then again, her thoughts were clouded by the single person. She shrank in her spot, hoping to avoid be seen. At least it might have worked until Pinkie spoke up once more. “And these guys are my super special deluxe friends. This is Fluttershy and her girlfriend Rainbow Dash-“

“How do you do,” greeted Sunset. Twilight continued to slide down the seat, her eyes shut tight but still receptive to the words beings said.

“Hiya,”

“Hello,”

“-and over here is our celebrating couple, Rarity and Applejack,”

“Howdy,”

“Pleasure to meet you,”

“Right back at you,” Sunset replied.

“-and then we have-”

“Twilight?”

***

Sunset stared at the furthest spot in the booth, the very girl whose mind had sent Sunset reeling not a few minutes in a mixture of anxiety and joy now sitting right in front of her. Both stared at each other, a silence crept in as their gazes meeting for some time, an expression of shock and worry written on their faces.

Sunset didn’t move. She couldn’t move, her feet were planted firm while her heart beat was racing fast, the sudden realization she was going to be seen by Twilight outside of their now established routine making her sweat profoundly.

“Hold on, you know each other,” Applejack shifted to glanced between Sunset and Twilight, the latter who shuffled uncomfortably back into position after having fallen down the edge of her seat.

“I- she- yeah, we’ve- you know-” Twilight stammered, her eyes averting Sunset’s as a deep blush took over her.

“I don’t actually,” Applejack muttered in puzzlement.

Sunset swallowed loudly, pulling the notepad she held close to her bosom.

“Y-yeah, we’ve met actually.”

“Oh?” Rarity raised her eyebrow, the sudden knowing look she gave Sunset was unsettling, as if she was connecting some unseen dots on a detective’s wall.

“Really?” Pinkie Pie intruded, loud as usual, but welcomed by Sunset who managed to break from her rooted position to cast her a nervous smile.

“Yes, I’ve-” Sunset coughed, “I’ve been to the library and she’s been quite, uh, helpful.”

A set of looks were given all around, Sunset feeling less and less welcomed and more like she was now at a tribunal. Twilight too appeared to be having her own troubles as the blush crept higher and higher until it was now at the tips of her ears.

“Well that’ll be out Twi, nose deep into books that she could find anything you want- Ow!” Rainbow Dash yelped as the table lurched. She hissed, looking over to the other side where Applejack and Rarity were.

“Oh wow, that is awesome! Who knew I could have made friends with two people who were already friends.” Squealed Pinkie Pie. “But wait!”

“That must mean you’ve been at the library with Twilight these past couple a’days, right?” Apple asked, the gears slowly turning inside her head as she looked on. For a second Sunset thought she might have frowned until the girl gave a small yelp and looked over her shoulder to the purple-haired girl, Rarity. There were a couple of glances exchanged between the two, darting eyes from Sunset to Twilight that made the both girls, Apple and Sunset, realize what the unspoken conversation was. “Well I’ll be-”

“So~” asked a very melodic Rarity, leaning forward with a cocked eyebrow. “How close are you?”

Twilight looked aghast, her face appearing almost a tomato as she steamed in blood at her neck and up. “Rarity!” she loudly whispered.

Ignored, Rarity carried on, looming closer as far as she could before she came upon Applejack who held a smug smirk. “By any chance are you the angel who’s been keeping an eye on our Twilight?”

 _Definit-_ “Eye?” Sunset feigned innocence but even she could not dismiss the detail that she glanced over to Twilight for a brief second. “W-what do you mean?”

“Oh nothing,” Rarity shrugged as she inspected her fine polished purple nails. “We’ve just been hearing things from Twilight. Nothing much.”

“R-really?” Sunset stammered again. She held the little notepad tight against her chest, clutching it from safety, hoping to be swallowed whole by the ground beneath. “What kind of stories?”

“Little tales from work I suppose.”

“What tales? You mean tales about Twilight’s secret admir- Oof!” Rainbow Dash was quickly shut down by Fluttershy who jabbed her in the rib. Befuddled, Rainbow gave a her girlfriend glare which was quickly melted as Fluttershy leaned close to her ear.

Sunset felt her heart near seize as Rainbow Dash too took on the same expression of enlightenment as Applejack not a few minutes ago.

“Right~” Rainbow joined the smug-a-lot club, turning to Sunset and all of a sudden the panel of judgement had grown by one more. That left Pinkie Pie who watched confused at the unfolding events with a headscratch before having given up and was now found perusing the menu in bliss. At least Sunset did not have to contend against her.

Twilight however was about as poor and defenseless than Sunset was, more so since she was trapped behind the bodies of her friends with no possible escape other than to break the window besides them. The way things looked Sunset would have taken that option had her legs decided to listen to her, but no, instead they appeared glued to the spot as she was assaulted by knowing looks and smiles.

“You wouldn’t know about someone kind enough to give Twilight here a coffee and a box of donuts, would you?”

Sunset paled.

“D-d-d-”

And stuttered.

“Donuts, yes dear.”

“I-” Sunset felt stumped. “I might?”

Convincing words. Not.

“Perhaps you’ve heard of this lovely girl helping our friend in need when she forgot her umbrella?” Rainbow Dash butted in.

Sunset gulped.

“Maybe,”

“Guys!” Twilight hissed in embarrassment.

“Or what about helping Twi when she needed help with a couple of books?”

“I just- ”

“Did you really give Twilight your hairband after hers broke?”

Sunset felt a bit too hot in the neck and above, sweat now pooling into thick beads that raced down her blushing cheeks. Her knuckles were done pale as she gripped the notepad so tight its pages had now wrinkled beyond use.

Everyone’s eyes were on her, everyone except for Twilight who averted her gaze, the girl so thoroughly embarrassed she was hiding behind a tiny advertisement of heart-shaped pancakes coated in syrup with an arrow through it. The thing had been a new product they had been pushing customers to buy but in this instance, Sunset found her own heart pierced by an arrow of its own, syrupy and all.

Rarity noticed, her eyes narrowing into slits like a predator about to pounce on its prey. Leaning closers still, her voice dropping low and terrifyingly alluring. “So-” Sunset trembled. “- may we know what time your shift ends?”

Flatline.

That’s it, Sunset felt her heart stop.

Twilight’s too by the looks of it.

Both the girls looked at Rarity gaping. Everyone did. Everyone except-

“Oh, Sunset? She get outs at 8 a’clock, which is in like,” Pinkie Pie looked at her dazzling watch with the tip of her tongue sticking out one corner of her mouth. “in 43 minutes.”

Rarity grew a devilish smirk.

“Perfect~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Next Year! Mwahaha!


	7. Friends are Evil!

“Are you crazy!” Twilight whispered loudly, her body almost poised to lunge for Rarity. Unlikely as it was Applejack remained near the edge of her seat with one arm draped around Rarity’s waist in case they needed to bolt right out that door with girlfriend on hand.

Rarity shrugged with a weak smile that wavered as steam visibly rolled out of Twilight’s ears. “Calm down Twilight,” she chuckled nervously, “can’t you see we just found out the identity of this mysterious girl you’ve been swooning over. It’s hardly our fault you’ve been speaking nonstop about this mysterious individual,”

Twilight’s flinched.

“Swooning?”

“I’ll say. You’ve been chatting up this girl to be some kind of fancy prankster or other but never would ‘ve guessed you found yourself a pretty darling like her.”

The blush was back, with a vengeance this time. With her face running red Twilight waved her hands about as if to stop the incoming words from striking her much as she did when she was playing softball. Failing at it too.

“You guys are taking this all wrong,” she defended, eyes darting between the faces of her friends as she tried to explain. “Sunset is- she’s an acquaintance. That’s all.”

“Looks to me she wanted to get well acquainted with you,” Rainbow shot her a wink which did not help Twilight’s flustered state. She received a slight jab on her side for it thanks to Fluttershy but it did little else than make her smug.

“Come now Twi, you really think Sunset doesn’t wanna get to know ya?”

Twilight gulped. She lowered her head, tucking it between her shoulders, giving a weak shrug.

“She’s nice,” a soft voice intervened in the lull that followed.

Everyone turned to meet Fluttershy’s shy gaze a bit astounded she had dared spoken up for the second time in a row with boldness. She flashed them a gentle smile as did to Twilight who regarded her with quizzical eyes.

“She is?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh yes. She wasn’t mean to anyone, she tried to reply to every question even if we were a little bit… _blunt._ ” That last came out as a whisper, Fluttershy ashamed in having partaken in the questioning that had made Sunset scamper off the moment she got everyone’s order.

Rainbow nudged Fluttershy’s shoulder to draw her attention back up to the group of friends listening closely. It worked, not least because Rainbow intertwined her fingers with Fluttershy’s beneath the table, giving the usually meek girl the boost to her wavering confidence.

“She probably is a bit shy about what happened now but I think if you give her a chance-” Fluttershy continued as she turned to gaze over longingly at Rainbow Dash, a giddy smile tugging the edge of her lips, “-she’ll surprise you.”

Twilight let the words seep in. She trusted her friends all the same but sometimes hearing something a bit so open from someone so closeted as Fluttershy gave Twilight a brief spark of hope.

Twilight played with the tips of her nails as she glanced over to the bright red door behind the booth, thinking about the personal dilemma Sunset must be having. She felt bad, not least because her friend had basically embarrassed her in the middle of her job but also because Twilight felt actual pain for what Sunset might have gone through. In her defense the probability they would have met each other outside of the library had been slim in a place like Equestria with its growing population and suburbs. It happened by chance, or fate if her friends were to be asked, but whichever way it now offered Twilight an opportunity to find out why this girl was so interested in her.

Her heart drummed harder against her rib as she pondered the outcome of the night, eyes lingering back on the doorway. She pursed her lips and, after a minute of more silent pondering, she gave a curt nod.

40 minutes.

5 minutes.

4 minutes.

3 minutes.

2 minutes.

Sunset’s eyes were glued on the clock like nothing else existed. Or at least she tried to think of it that way but deep down she knew it was in vain. For every passing second her thought drifted between the looming countdown to the end of her shift and… and…

_URGH!_

She let out a silent groan. _Why? Why did Twilight have to be here tonight? Why did she have to be friends with the only girl who was a regular at the café? Why? Why?_

It was hopeless. The whole world now seemed hopeless. _She_ was hopeless.

See those hopes, well too bad now they are gone. Poof. Vanished.

Twilight Sparkle. Sunset wanted to curse her name but instead she failed to even think of anything evil to speak of her, instead her mind racing to the minutes ago when she had walked out to deliver the fresh out of the grill orders. She tried super hard not to look at anyone in the eye and succeeded for the most part up until her fingers briefly brushed against Twilight’s when she handed her the plate. Time froze for both of them, their gazes coming up to meet each other and when they did it sent Sunset’s heart hurling down her stomach.

It was the first of several incidents which near killed her, each one making her heart either suffer extreme bouts of skipping or stopping. Already she was worried she might not live long enough if she ever she saw Twilight again, her heart could not take it.

The worst part, perhaps what she was either dreading the most or dying out of anxiety, was the moment she would step out that door for the end of her shift. Out there awaited her fate, whatever it was, with no other option of escape outside of breaking the chained merchandise door in the back, busting the emergency door near the kitchen or outright jumping like a mad lady out the nearest window. All of those options were undesirable but becoming more lucrative the closer the clock ticked to the nearest hour.

And it ticked painfully slow!

Sunset felt her eyes sting in pain for some time now as she did not dare blink, secretly hoping the world might stop just shy of her shift’s end. It of course never did but it did raise a few hopes which were soon dashed as Wallflower Blush slipped into the locker room quietly.

“Sunset?”

Snapped out of her thoughts Sunset looked to her friend/coworker with a frozen look. Maybe she had been scathed a bit too much by Twilight’s friends.

“Wallflower, what’s up?” she asked after the little fright in her subsided, offering a vague attempt at a calming smile.

Wallflower Blush did not seem convinced, nor should she. In truth she had been watching Sunset’s mood for a long time and was by now well acquainted with that dopey-smitten-useless look. This one was possibly the worst of them all in her opinion. “What’s up?” She repeated and then gave her a sharp look. “What’s up with you? You’ve been all airhead since that Pinkie and her company came in.”

Sunset felt her jaw go loose, unable to respond. She was not given the chance, Wallflower coming over to her locker and popping it open.

“Look, whatever it is I’m happy for you, but girl you need to get your head clear.”

Admittedly Sunset had been feeling just the same but once she thought of anything else it was inevitably brought back to Twilight.

“Agreed,” she breathed out, shoulders sagging.

Wallflower hummed. The metal door clicked shut as she did her work apron around her waist. She said nothing in the meantime, allowing Sunset a calming moment without her thoughts being too clouded. Finishing the knot, Wallflower took a seat in one of the many plastic chairs.

“So,” she started, “which one was it?”

Sunset blinked. “Was what?”

“Which of those girls was making you look like you’ve seen an unicorn or something.”

Sunset slowly registered the words but it did not click, at least not until Wallflower let out a slightly irritated sigh and leaned over.

“Who’s the girl you’ve been so head over heels? The one you keep daydreaming?”

If blushes could erupt then hers would have been a tremendous volcanic explosion, Sunset’s whole face turning fifty shades of red.

“Oh please, you’ve been so obvious this entire time Sun, kinda everyone here knows you’ve got the hots for someone. And now thanks to Pinkie we kinda narrowed it down,”

“E-everyone?”

“Yep,” with a pop in the ‘P’ for good measure. Wallflower shrugged. “Can’t be Pinkie, that’s for sure. Too peppy. There’s were these two that are no doubt together, the rainbow-haired one and the one with pink hair so I don’t think it’ll be them. That leaves the trio you kept staring at. Blondes aren’t really your thing so that leaves the two purple heads. So-” Wallflower inched closer with sharp eyes, “Which was it?”

Sunset now felt both embarrassed she had ever spoken so openly with Wallflower about her personal interests and ashamed she could not just tuck into a little ball of shame. A glance over to Wallflower was returned with a _well-go-on_ gesture.

Sunset pulled her purse over her face.

“Glasses-”

Wallflower huffed.

“Louder,”

Sunset felt her cheeks run crimson by now. “T-the one with glasses,”

Wallflower blinked a couple of times, smiling on she connected a face to the girl who had been troubling Sunset’s thoughts for the past couple of weeks. It was like an unofficial triumph. She leaned back but stopped shy of settling into her spot. Like a lightbulb, her face turned to the door. Without saying anything she got up and walked over to it, peeking through the circular window.

“Well, well,” she grinned.

Sunset watched with some degree of turmoil her friend look out the door, realizing Wallflower must be looking through it and out the other door’s larger window to see into the dinner. She groaned, running a hand over her face.

Today was just- UGH!

When not looking Wallflower came up besides her and without warning pulled her from her seat.

“Come on Romeo, you’ve got a date waiting for you.”

Sunset yelp twice on both accounts of being manhandled out the staff’s break room and out to the kitchen door leading out to the floor. She was barely piecing things together as her purse was shoved against her by a more that evil-looking Wallflower.

“Tell me the details later~”

With another shove Sunset stumbled out the door, Wallflower giving her a terrifying smile as she gave her a perilous wave. Sunset was yet looking disheveled, mind racing a bit to catch up to the events. She shot Wallflower one of those _What-the-heck-dude_ looks, you know the one.

Possibly more terrifying than being physically forced out her own workplace by her supposedly best friend was the single gesture from Wallflower. Pointing. Pointing at something.

Pointing at someone.

Oh.

_Oh._

"Fu-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have gotten carried away and added another chapter. Because I like me my gay messes...  
> No promises that this will be the last time I do this.
> 
> Next Chapter(s): Its a surprise!


End file.
